Mitt Romney took 2 non-binding contests today, only one of which will lead to some delegates down the road. Maine Republicans finished a week long caucus process Saturday which culminated in Mitt Romney winning the top spot with Ron Paul punching in a close 2nd.

Mitt Romney won the lightly-attended Maine Republican caucuses Saturday, reclaiming the momentum that he lost when Rick Santorum swept three states on Tuesday.

“I thank the voters of Maine for their support,” Romney said in a statement. “I’m committed to turning around America. And I’m heartened to have the support of so many good people in this great state.”

Romney won 39 percent of the vote, with 2,190 votes. He narrowly edged out the other candidate who seriously contested the Maine caucuses, Ron Paul, who won 36 percent of the vote with 1,996 votes.

There were 972,181 registered voters in Maine as of November 8 of last year, including 269,604 Republicans.
Paul, who is focused on small caucuses states like Maine, is the only candidate in the race who has yet to win a state. Romney and Santorum have now each won four states, while Newt Gingrich has won one.

In remarks following the announcement of Romney’s victory, Paul noted that not every caucus had taken place, saying there was one in particular that he expected to win that had yet to occur.

“It’s almost like we could call it a tie, but anyway,” said Paul.

As an annual tradition, the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) holds a presidential straw poll which, in recent years, has been dominated by Ron Paul. This year was a bit different with Mitt Romney also taking the top spot, report from Fox News:

Mitt Romney won the presidential straw poll Saturday at the Conservative Political Action Conference, an unofficial endorsement from party activists that nevertheless helps the former Massachusetts governor burnish his conservative image.

The Republican presidential candidate won with 38 percent of the vote at the Washington conference, the leading annual meet-up of American conservatives. The victory breaks a two-year winning streak by Ron Paul.

The results, though, showed Rick Santorum gaining traction among party faithful. The former Pennsylvania senator, who won three primary and caucus contests on Tuesday, came in second with 31 percent.

Newt Gingrich was third with 15 percent, and Paul came in fourth with 12 percent.

Cheers broke out at the conference when the results were unveiled, a sign of the robust pro-Romney contingent in the audience. The results came in as the GOP candidates competed on the final day of the Republican caucuses in Maine — Romney was later declared the winner of that contest, narrowly edging out Paul.

This will be a needed bounce for Mitt Romney still smarting from a three-state loss this past Tuesday. Ron Paul gave a solid 2nd place showing in Maine but it will be tough for him heading into the upcoming primary states since caucuses are his strong suit.

Nate Ashworth is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of Election Central. He's been blogging elections and politics for almost a decade. He started covering the 2008 Presidential Election which turned into a full-time political blog in 2012 and 2016.

95 COMMENTS

If only 84% is in then Romney hasn’t won a damn thing yet it’s a projection nothing more from what I understand Washington Country hasn’t reported in yet which is about 200 votes if Paul wins those he wins Maine.

Washington County won’t be reporting, as I understand it. They postponed a week due to a big snow storm, and the state GOP said they won’t let Washington Co’s votes be added in later. There are also several other counties that chose not to caucus this week – the caucus actually won’t be finished until March 30th.

Too many people will take these announced results as if they were the delegate results, just as people are thinking that Santorum or Romney clearly won the delegate contest in Iowa. But if Minnesota and Colorado are good indicators, then Paul has already won Maine hands down. I guess we’ll know at their convention.

It is estimated that nearly 500,000,000 as of 2010 (and each year EVEN MORE are passed) — about 1/2 billion — NEGATIVE Laws/rules/regulations are on the books, meaning: “You, the US Citizen, cannot do 1/2 billion things, because we, the Government, have deemed such actions ILLEGAL.”

More Negative Laws than the total count of US Citizens (including babies, children, and adults in our Nation)!

The Arrogance of Office is best displayed by this pernicious Sophism: “Ignorance of the Law is no excuse”.

No sane person can expect an individual to memorize all the names of the 312 million US Citizens — but same individual is expected to know the EXACTITUDE of ALL 1/2 billion LAWS (or be penalized for the IGNORANCE)?!

The Great Roman Statesman Cicero stated: ‘The MORE Laws in a Nation, the LESS Justice for the Citizens’ — nearly 2000 years later, Cicero’s warning rings true: *More Laws = Less Liberty*!

I’ve been saying it for decades, to no avail — now FOX comes to the rescue (hope you can disseminate it through “tweeter”, “facebook” and other internet means you young people are aware)!
Thank you.

I should note that by straw poll I mean the Maine straw poll. Calling it a straw poll is meant to reflect the fact that no delegates are (currently) based on the results of the statewide total. But the rules for awarding delegates won’t be decided until the state convention, so it could be a factor.

And it’s hard to imagine anything coming out of the state convention would ignore Washington county and the others that haven’t voted yet. That would be a PR nightmare.

There’s a good chance there will be more pro-Paul than pro-Mitt delegates at the state convention anyway. So they may be setting the rules.

Yes, he could. He must work more intensively and people, who work by his campaign in USA. he is really the best solution for USA and for the rest of the world and he must do everything, what is in his power to win. And you as nation should help him. Vote properly. USA had never good, normal president. It is the last time to change this bad state of things and to elect good candidate. You have nothing to loose.

Shows how Americans are “breaking” the law daily, without knowing it, because of the hundreds of millions of rules and regulations. And how cops are using this as an excuse to arrest anybody for just about anything!!

It is estimated that nearly 500,000,000 as of 2010 (and each year EVEN MORE are passed) — about 1/2 billion — NEGATIVE Laws/rules/regulations are on the books, meaning: “You, the US Citizen, cannot do 1/2 billion things, because we, the Government, have deemed such actions ILLEGAL.”

More Negative Laws than the total count of US Citizens (including babies, children, and adults in our Nation)!

The Arrogance of Office is best displayed by this pernicious Sophism: “Ignorance of the Law is no excuse”.

No sane person can expect an individual to memorize all the names of the 312 million US Citizens — but same individual is expected to know the EXACTITUDE of ALL 1/2 billion LAWS (or be penalized for the IGNORANCE)?!

The Great Roman Statesman Cicero stated: ‘The MORE Laws in a Nation, the LESS Justice for the Citizens’ — nearly 2000 years later, Cicero’s warning rings true: *More Laws = Less Liberty*!

I’ve been saying it for decades, with no avail — now FOX comes to the rescue (hope you can disseminate it through “tweeter”, “facebook” and other internet means you young people are aware)!
Thank you.

since when is fox liberal? you must live in a cave. they are the most conservative channel out there. and like you said yourself, they spend more time blowing smoke up your ass than doing anything else.

The gentleman that announced the results said that not all caucuses chose to participate in the straw poll. There may well have been more support for Paul in those caucuses. If that’s true, their decision is unfortunate for Paul because he needs the perception of winning if he is going to remain viable. Why did Paul skip the CPAC?

“Why don’t you try looking at the real candidate(s) instead of buying into so much media hype”

This coming from somebody that links media hype? Honestly, if you cannot see that Obama and Romney are two sides of the same coin, then i truly wish you, along with anyone who legitimately votes for Romney, to do their research. There is an intellectual revolution going on and soon these dinosaur media outlets will be extinct, and good riddance.

Despite efforts, apparently, of your Maine GOP State HQ office and some of the paid staff of the Ron Paul Campaign to prevent eye-witnesses from reporting results at each of the Maine Caucuses to election watchdog groups such as WatchTheVote2012.com — many eye-witnesses are coming forth anyway, as the population becomes more educated regarding how caucuses and primaries can be rigged at the upper levels.

We are intending to hold back some of the information we have until you release your “official results” on February 11, 2012.

Please do not force a re-run of the Iowa GOP State HQ debacle, whereby the Iowa GOP deliberately posted false results on January 3, 2012 in order to make Mitt Romney look like “the winner” before the world — only to have to back down in the face of Edward True’s affidavit two weeks later — and declare Rick Santorum “the winner.” We were holding more affidavit information to make public in Iowa, if the need had arisen.

The same is true in Maine. So please release the honest results on February 11, 2012.

We have posted enough results so that you can see that we are getting and posting accurate eye-witness reports of what actually happened at each caucus in Maine.

—————

Unfortunately I can’t post the graphic here, but it shows a breakdown of precinct results in which Ron Paul is winning with 42%, Mitt Romney has 33%, Rick Santorum 20%, and Newt Gingrich trailing with 5%.

anon, I did not link media hype. That link is to the video of the man announcing the outcome of the Maine caucus — he was not media, he was a caucus organizer. But you see fox news in the URL and decide it must be Fox’s report — WRONG! Remain in your ignorance, it’s your choice.

I just googled the heading to your post, and I am pretty outraged. I listened to the guy, and he did not say he was announcing the caucus result, he said he was announcing the result of the straw poll, and that some caucuses had not participated in the straw poll. Why such lies!?! He said the caucus results would be announced at some future date, but I don’t recall what that date was. He said this was only the beginning of the process for Maine to select its delegates — folks, why don’t you listen to what’s been said. Forget how the media messes it up – you can’t blame him for their inaccuracy.

That particular GOP rep announced FIRSTLY that Mitt WON (39% to Ron Paul’s 36%)! As such his statement became TRUTH for that moment!

Then cameras flashed, people yelling “Go Mitt” were heard, applauding ensued for a time! Afterward, he QUALIFIED his statement that NOT ALL counts have been made as of the time of this ANNOUNCEMENT — a TRUTH cannot have ANY QUALIFIERS (since they negate its VALIDITY)!

As reprehensible as his MISSTATEMENT was — the main stream media’s behavior was even more reprehensible! Instead of jumping on this — and exposing it as speculation, not true result — the media proclaimed Mitt as winner, and within minutes blanketed America with this “result”!

The illusion created by Maine’s GOP was not challenged, but propagated as TRUTH by the media! Now every one knows that Mitt won — thanks to the main media’s perfidy!

Your assertion that: “Forget how the media messes it up – you can’t blame him for their inaccuracy” is but a weak attempt to excuse what is INEXCUSABLE!

If your going to advance yourself as a Politician — which you admitted a while back you are (and probably on Mitt’s staff, that is a surmise, not a conclusion, on my part) — you should take Logic 101 (it will improve your chances of making less faux pas).

I didnt see the caucus last night, but looks like Mitt won. Theres something wrong with all of these canidites. Mitt is nothing but a rich man. Newt has had a lot of afairs, and Rick is fake and has made racist comments. I still want mitt to win though.

Looks like Marlene is headed towards an awakening. She only misses the part where the media AND the GOP Establishment are both against Paul. Washington County was expected to be a big win for Ron Paul, and it was conveniently cancelled the day of the results, postponed, and then the chairman said it wouldn’t be “counted” in the results of the straw poll, so Mitt Romney would stay the “winner” in the public eye, and they would keep incorrectly projecting the delegate totals to overestimate his “lead”.

While this doesn’t matter in the battle for delegates, its a perception thing. 90% of Americans (and I think I am being generous) base most of the decisions on television news and advertising. If Ron Paul doesn’t “win” a contest, he can forget ever opening the eyes of the masses, or what I refer to as the “zombie vote”. Not that the media wouldn’t totally downplay a Ron Paul victory…

As Ron said in his Maine would-be victory speech “The revolution continues”. We need to keep waking people up, and we all need to participate in the Feb. 14th Noone But Paul money bomb so he can keep campaigning.

What shenanigans! the GOP has made itself contemptible and transparently obvious. They don’t want Paul to win. In Nevada they didn’t even want him to come in ahead of Gingrich, so they stopped reporting voting figures or even counting in Clark County which is fairly pro-Paul.

In Russia tens of thousands protested voter fraud in the streets of Moscow. Here we put up with it and call ourselves “The land of the free”. This hiding of the vote tally, and other methods of fixing the outcome of an election, in pro-Paul precincts is an abomination. Shame on you GOP! You deserve to go the way of ACORN. Here’s hoping you do.

We invented the model and how to rig it too. We try to export it so we can control it as well. While most Idiots give up their rights and responsibilities, intrusting these to bureaucrats and politicians, who sell them to the best bidder, so that they can pursue the American Dream, in a selfish, self-serving, unachievable utopia better known as the rat race trying to get ahead.

I still can’t see why Romney was a better choice than Huntsman. I’m all for Ron Paul but I do understand how Americans do love war (history indicates) but to take Romney over Huntsman, could someone who is a Romney fan clue me in.

I guess there are no real Romney fans. Neither does the party or people trust him. He only seems more electable because the establishment brokered contributions and support from very large $$$ sectors. The question is who will he sell out in the end. He tries to please all so he does not convince any.

Huntsman started his campaign on the wrong foot with the traditional extremist of the party. The way he presented himself, and having served under Obama, got him discarded immediately. Not all his fathers money or the little traction he created could overcome the damage he did to himself from the start.

But on paper (his record) Huntsman beats Romney all around. What happened???
Seems like a no brainer, there are 50 states and 50 governors. Somebody has to be #1 and leaves with high marks. Romney did a terrible job and had low marks when he left. No way this guy is going to beat Obama

What we call the Media is nothing more than a Corporation for profits. Their best interest is Advertising Dollars. Their biggest worry is to not damage or hurt the effort to generate revenue for the station. Except for MSNBC and FOX who have a agenda and activist role, the rest only spin there opinions according to the support from the very large interest groups they serve. The drug, oil, insurance, banks, and other companies as well as charities, activists, social organizations and even the FCC, all have a contribution to make to networks in exchange for coverage of events, as well as the dismissal of other events or the spin of them. It’s all negotiable for advertisement dollars. Any event or news can be used to promote someones interest. So somebody is paying to promote, dismiss, exaggerate, spin or twist any single event or controversy and sometimes create them too.
We have to learn to read in between the lines and be very skeptic of everything. The way things are presented always serves someones interest, and usually it’s never the interest of WE THE PEOPLE.

When I invest into a product — buying a steak at the supermarket per say — they give me a receipt for my investment (shows the item code# and the date and time of my investment (purchasing in good faith, upon accountability by vendor, that I received the right product))!

Elections MUST be held to at least the same standard as buying groceries — when people invest into their Right To Vote, give them a VALID receipt for their investment!

If States can issue millions of Lottery Tickets weekly, that cannot be forged — why not be FORCED to do the same during the rare elections?!

I am not concern with the fraud as much as the lack of education and participation of the majority. Zombies who vote without knowledge of our founding, the Ideals and values that once made us a great nation, not because of power, but because we were respected, for what we stood for.
People who are not interested in politics as if it was another Olympic or championship tournament, and who root for one or other team with complete disregard for our founding values.
Voter fraud is the least of our worries.

Everything we need to RESTORE AMERICA is in the founding documents. The Declaration of Independence tells us WHY?, The Bill of Rights HOW? and the Constitution is the blue print on how to organize the Government. Ron Paul is only the messenger. He has awaken many people, and some zombies to the cause of personal responsibilities and the role of government. We do not need Ron Paul, he is only one man, who has served us well and we should appreciate greatly his many contributions, regardless of a win or loss in the republican primary. One single man can’t do anything at all without the support of a great majority of We the People. Our Job is to awake and keep convincing everyone to participate in the process of governing. Whether RP wins the primary or not, or the Presidency, Our job does not finish there or ever. WE THE PEOPLE should never intrust a politician or a any party with our rights and freedoms.

According to the founding, it always depended in We The People. Never on a single leader or party. I doubt very much Dr Paul will ever see a Libertarian Majority. We would need to get everybody who isn’t, involved.
A safe bet or strategy for this election, is to split the vote enough to prevent Romney of reaching 1144, then in a brokered convention, this will get Dr. Paul a seat at the table to broker a deal in exchange for delegates. I also doubt any will beat Obama. Republicans have a few possible hopefuls for 2016. If the GOP leadership became patriots, would they listen to the popular vote without making side deals with the interest groups? Both parties have a history of selling us out
If so, will have to be like Phoenix reborn from the ashes…

Not suggesting that one man replaces the founding principle of We The People — but that Ron Paul has ignited the spark needed to fire the flames of Liberty. If not elected, that spark will be extinguished, and the only bird coming out of the ashes will be We-The-People as roasted chicken….

The NOW goal is that Mitt never gets to 1144, and the hope is, as you stated, a brokered Convention.

Abe, JFK, MLK, were killed, still the fight for Freedom and civil rights, has not ended. Neither will greed and corruption ever end. It is and will always be a ongoing battle that will never end. Our founding left us documents which after 200 years are equally valid as they were then. The human conditions has not changed much. It’s like a remake of an old play.
The clergy still trying to control us, the greedier power groups trying to impose their interest, a military sector who is always looking for wars or starting them to sell there supplies, and politicians selling there votes and our support to the highest bidder. Seems like this new generation only got more sophisticated. World domination is not a old theme. Militarily, Commercially, politically, it’s still the same song.
On the other hand Lennon also got killed, and “Imagine” is still playing…
The IDEAS con not be killed.

Its a shame Ron Paul did not win. He is the candidate America needs. Just take the time to read his political views and reflect, you will understand why he is good for the US. I know he is radical but I think America needs something radical, its time to wake up!

It’s not a shame that Ron Paul did not win because he actually WON! The shame is that Romney won when he did not, say thanxs to the GOP establishment that altered the results [Waldo County and Belfast…to give a quick example of the fraud] to prevent Paul from winning: this is a very different story from the way you put it…

Ron Paul’s Constitutional knowledge, accurate historical data, superior by ten fold intellect, and good nature as a genuine caring person — even though not an orator (RP) — will by SUBSTANCE destroy the small-minded narcissistic Bama’s empty Rhetoric and the Bankrupt Socialist Dogma he spews in ANGER when “displeased”!

Bama had some worries in debating Newt (the two can out-lie each other, on any given occasion). But now that Newt is nearly done — Bama is happy.

Bama is on top of the world NOW — since his reelection is about to be GUARANTEED by the GOP’s choice to do whatever it takes (legal or illegal) for tepid Mitt to challenge him (Romney-Money is what the out-of-touch GOP hopes may counter Bama’s billion dollars campaign)!

This will be the best outcome for Bama — to face flip-flopping Romney (since Bama can make Mitt turn any way he wants…after all Mitt stands for everything (and nothing)…depending on the audience)! Bama’s writers have already scripted what Bama needs to remember, so he can rip Mitt apart on Bain Capital and Cayman Islands accounts!

Now tell me why that isn’t a smart move. Every shyster and his brother can get your money out of a U S Bank account. Romney may have set it up in Swiss francs or Canadian dollars.
Smart, very smart. It may not be in the best interests of the USA but what politician has ever put America first?

How can we announce a winner, when there are still counties in Maine who have not voted. Since when did we pick and chose whose vote counts. America you should be upset, whether you are Republican or Democrat, every vote matters. It is not an a select few that govern, we all have a say. If this is important to you stand up for your voice and your freedom to vote!

That’s absolutely typical how Ron Paul is treated during the whole primaries. They cut him all the time. Ask you why??? If Ron Paul get’s too much spotlight, he would be dangerous for the robot candidates and the FED. The whole thing can blast and the nation is going to vote for him. If the US citizens think a little bit about the situation of their country, they’ll wake up and support the only true candidate for President who can fix this thing. His name is Ron Paul my friends…

Ron Paul WON the Maine Caucus and Washington county this week end will just confirm that while showing once again the GOP establishiment is filled by criminals!! Romney the front runner? Let’s be serious…

This is ridiculous. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Santorum, Romney, Gingrich, or Paul. Obama MUST be defeated. It’s all about power play. Not a single candidate cares for this country. All they want is to be president. It’s a known fact that the only ticket that stands a chance of defeating “Darth Obama” is a Romney/Santorum ballot. They need to pull together and begin a campaign rather than drag this thing out.

It is estimated that nearly 500,000,000 as of 2010 — about 1/2 billion — NEGATIVE Laws are on the books, meaning: “You, the US Citizen, cannot do 1/2 billion things, because we, the Government, have deemed such actions to be contrary to your well-being.”

In other words: “If you don’t do what we think is for YOUR OWN GOOD, we have approved 1/2 billion ways to punish you!”

More Laws (about 500,000,000) telling individuals what NOT to DO, than the total count of all the US Citizens alive (about 312,000,000)!

The Arrogance of Office is best displayed by this pernicious Sophism: “Ignorance of the Law is no excuse”.

No sane person can expect an individual to memorize all the names of the 312 million US Citizens — but same individual is expected to know the EXACTITUDE of ALL 1/2 billion LAWS (or be penalized for the IGNORANCE)?!

Only Ron Paul has questioned this EVER increasing “Law” passing — the rest are mute (seems they lack the education to comprehend the truth the Great Roman Statesman Cicero stated: ‘The MORE Laws in a Nation, the LESS Justice for the Citizens’ — nearly 2000 years later, Cicero’s warning rings true: *More Laws = Less Liberty*)!

No wonder the main media is doing their best to black-out Ron Paul — Truth is Bane for Big Brother wannabees.

If you need a license, permit, or a certificate from a government agency it is no longer a right, it is a privilege. Thus Americans may be to most privileged people on the planet but they have few if any rights.

The trick was to blur the distinction btw rights and privileges, until nearly all rights were transferred under the heading: privilege. And since privileges are not protected under constitutional law, we, de facto lost our rights!

How to Chop Down the Tree of Liberty and Succeed: A Politician’s Handbook (One branch at a time, for as long as it takes).

At the beginning, the Citizens had the Freedom to walk all paths. Then Government decided that some paths are not good for the people, so closed off a few paths. Now, the People had Freedom to walk a few less paths. Encouraged by this, the Government passed even more laws telling the People what other things they cannot do (because it is for their own good). Pleased with the outcome — the Citizens’ obedience — the Government went into the full-time business of Manufacturing Laws (rules, regulations).

Since Politicians produce nothing of intrinsic value — they found their calling in writing stuff on paper, telling people what not to do (“for their own good” of-course).

As of 2010, it is estimated that there are about 1/2 Billion Negative Laws/rules/regulations on the Books telling the People what they CANNOT DO upon threat of punishment (that’s more Laws than there are US Citizens)!

Headlines at end of 2011 read: 40,000 New Laws in effect for 2012. Translation — 40,000 more paths each Citizen has lost the Liberty to walk. See how nicely this is working out for them:

The republican party needs to realize that there are many of us that feel the system is rigged and they do not respect Ron Paul. I know myself and many others are voting either constitution party or for Obama to assure that the republicans do not win this next election. We hate parties, we like freedom and neither of the two parties offer that.

Shows how Americans are “breaking” the law daily, without knowing it, because of the hundreds of millions of rules and regulations. And how cops are using this as an excuse to arrest anybody for just about anything!